Blog | Able Accountants Birmingham

As part of our management accounts service we provide bespoke reporting of any accounts for whatever reporting purpose you have. Typically this is for key senior management and interests, who need bottom-line summaries of information of important data to make important decisions.

This isn’t just basic bookkeeping or statutory accounting, but making this compliant and financial information actually matter and make sense. It’s empowering the right people with the best data to make the most effective decisions.

Therefore here are 5 essential factors in any effective Management Accounts to get the accounts slicker. It might be the same old data being used, but these will help relate to people in a new way and help them digest and apply them:

1. Timing is Everything

Getting the correct frequency of these management reports is key to not only fall in line with any regular meetings and updates, but to balance enough timely information with not being overloaded by too much information overload.

It might be monthly senior management meetings, a quarterly review, or weekly update – get this established, and then plan to have the reports circulated at the meeting or before hand for people to browse through.

2. Comparison to What is Right

The main idea of management accounts is to check performance, and being able to make any business decisions to help steer things in the right direction. So firstly, know what budgets, forecasts, and KPIs you have set, before secondly making sure that actual performance data can be compared like-for-like.

Practically, these should be easy to see on the reports, with any variances noted and comparisons to past figures for similar periods.

3. Using the Right Data

It sounds obvious, but worth checking that you’re using the right data. You will need to check how this is accessed from existing bookkeeping or nominal ledger systems, and that every future report has the correct and latest information as well.

4. Adapting to the Right People

This is one of the most important factors, knowing who is the recipricant of the report, as this will affect how it is presented.

This works on both a team level as well as an individual one. You need to carefully gauge who has the final say on this, and make sure as many people as possible benefit from the final agreed format.

5. Presenting Results Well

Okay, you have the right management accounts ready to go, you just need to make sure the final figures are presented real good. And this might be more visual than you first think, so maybe a nice looking pie chart or progress line showing exactly how this all looks in reality.

Management Accounts on the Move

Applying these 5 factors to your management accounts will help bring them back to life. No one likes going through pointless information for the sake of it, particularly those who are not involved with accounts every day – they want the bottom-line answers from these accounts, and now.

As part of our statutory company year end accounts service in Walsall and the wider West Midlands, we know all about the dreaded end-of-year accounts that all companies need to submit and get right. These are a legal requirement, and getting them wrong or delayed can cost businesses and organisations big bucks and problems.

Whether you're carrying out a lot of the preparation yourself for an accountant to then just prepare and submit, or you are instructing accountants to deal with the whole process and other accounting services, here are a few ways to make the most of them.

1.An Annual Snap-Shot

They basically boil-down to an annual snap-shot of your financial situation over a year, and although they don't have a lot of detail like say Management Accounts do, they do have accurate and bottom-line figures to not only legally show the state of the company, but help intereprit how things are financially.

This is all in line with legal obligations like the Internal Financial Reporting Standards and UK Generally Accepted Accounting or Practice. In particular there is a Profit and Loss account showing what income and expenditure is, and a Balance Sheet with what assets and liabilities are held, with various other ancillary information like accounting Notes and Directors Report and possibly Auditors Report.

2.Know How They May Change

So although they all have the same principle as each other, the way in which they are formed can vary for different situations.

So for larger businesses and turnover there can be additional information and detail being needed, whereas dormant accounts are more abbreviated for companies where there is no real financial activity, and not to be confused with just 'non-trading' accounts.

3.They Link to Other Accounting Services

So to make these Statutory year-end company accounts happen, you’ll first need basic accounting information to hand and maybe a Trial Balance from a bookkeeper.

Along the way you can also have additional management accounts provided to help with more detail, and even a form of these accounts anyway for businesses or interest that don't legally need them like with a limited company.

Finally, there may be tax liabilities and resultant tax returns and corporation tax liabilities to then process.

4.Tweaks and Changes Will Effect the Year End Figures

This is where the expertise of a good accountant comes into play, where legal and helpful changes and adjustments can be made to ensure your accounts are the best they can be.

So provisions of bad debt and deferred tax can be made, and any outstanding loans and capital noted, and then reporting of any actual director transactions as well.

5.The End Purposes

The two main external authorities that will require these accounts are Companies House and HMRC, and often required in a set time frame of 9 months of the year end or 21 months for new companies.

Shareholders and Directors of the actual company will also need them, and they can be provided for over reasons such as the business taking on other commitments.

6. Make Sure They're Valid

This may sounds so simple, but it can be so easily missed - to make sure they're a right copy of the final copies. Not just drafts, but final ones which have been correctly signed and dated, and maybe even original copies.

Learn How to Navigate Your Way Around the Accounts

So in effect, the bottom line is that you can gauge your profit by how much income is above expenditure, and how much value by assets above liabilities.

But you then need to go beyond these to determine the full health of the accounts, for example if there are any bad debts or liabilities lurking around, and even comparing to previous years to see a pattern over time.

Therefore in short, make sure you firstly have the right form of statutory year end company accounts being formed with ancillary information, and that all the information and changes are correct. Then make sure these are correctly communicated to all the right people, and on time, and that the information revealed can actually make sense to them. Over forthcoming years you can then repeat the process and build up a nice set of healthy accounts for your company and business.

They’re ever so popular and a routine task for most people every year, the famous Tax Return. As part of our Tax Returns in Walsall and the wider West Midlands service, we come across a variety of forms that clients require, whether on an individual or corporate basis.

These are different of course to other forms of tax that you may need to pay through a different procedure, for example VAT returns, Business Rates or Council Tax, or stamp duty on a property transaction (with relevant reliefs such as for first-time buyers).

They should be simple really, and then a routine task every year, however in reality there are issues that need clariying in order to correctly reduce any tax liabilities, both before any Tax Return is actually submitted and when dealing with any Inland Revenue queries afterwards.

We therefore have 7 of our common top-tips for those dealing with these Tax Returns, which are handy to know and clarify with any tax advisors you do already have or plan for:

1.Remember That a Lot is Online Now

This is true for a lot of accounting, with less of the manual form-filling in the post, and more online preparation and submissions.

It’s important then to make the most of this, whether that’s the right software system with all your raw data for the Tax Return, keeping digital copies of back-up invoices and documentation, and having different people access the same account for preparation, checking, and then submission purposes.

2.Allowable Income & Expenditure

If you break things down, it boils down to noting the difference between what you received and what you spend in order to establish the right figure to base your tax calculation on.

It sounds easy, but the expertise comes with knowing what to include and exclude, sometimes just an apportionment of a certain cost which may be split between say a home and business purpose.

3.Cracking Calculations

The number-crunching is the magical part, and although there are computerised systems to help, you can’t beat sound human judgement on this.

There will be tweaks like allowances and deductions that can make all the difference in calculating that final tax liability as low as possible.

4.A Final Sanity Check

This is always worth doing, even just to rule out any human error as well as actual omission of information and expertise. Preferably checked by someone who has not drafted the tax return, this will help iron out any last minute changes needed.

5.Issuing Payments

The painful bit of course is issuing the final tax liability, whether one-off or on an agreed payment basis. In some scenarios though this can work the other way in that you’re actually due a credit payment from Inland Revenue if your expenditure was above your income for the year.

6.The HMRC Contact

Even with a submitted tax return and payment, you still may need further liaisons with HMRC, particularly if you’re chosen in any random sampling of people and businesses even though there is no immediate concern. Therefore be prepared, and see if any appointed accountant can be the agreed point of contact.

7.The Overall Strategy

Rather than just processing every year’s tax return year after year, you really need that wider tax advice to make the most of things longer term.

Even if there is initial time and cost to re-structure things or bring in expertise, this may pay off longer term with reduced or at least deferred tax liabilities.

In short, take a step back and see other ways that you can reduce your tax liabilities. Even if you’re still preparing and submitting tax returns yourself and bringing in the experts for certain parts, this can truly pay off longer term.

You could always opt to work through your accounts out yourself or delegate to a colleague. However, we know that you will be keen to use your time on tasks that will lead increased revenue rather than record keeping and tallying up outgoings. Perhaps your colleagues will also be eager to drive business and less than thrilled about poring over the figures from the last quarter.

Why not outsource to a freelance accountant or an accounting firm? Let them deal with the paperwork and deliver you a crisp and tidy tax return. But what do they actually do and will you be spending money needlessly? If you’re running a startup you’ll be wary of spending money without just cause. With a little more dedication could you not take a deep breath and plough through your financial records yourself? What does a dedicated accountant actually bring to the table? In this article we’re going to address this question.

1. Your Business Plan

If you are anticipating running a startup the services of a good accountant could provide enormous assistance in compiling your business plan. Even if you have already worked out your plan a pair of fresh financial eyes can help you to focus on the elements that are vital to making your business run efficiently.

An accountant can help you to set milestones along the way and work with you on the means to judge how well you are doing. A professional working with the latest accounting software will be able to offer you the tools to accurately analyse how well you are doing.

2. Going to the Money Men

A good accountant will be able to give you guidance on how your company will actually make money. You may have had an excellent idea for a new product or service but it may take the observations of a financial expert to show you the true value of your business and how it might give you the best return.

If you’re seeking outside investment your potential investors will be impressed that you have invested time and effort in seeking outside professional input.

3. Regulating the Cash Flow

Once it is up and running your accountant will help you to analyse your business’ cash flow. He or she will be used to working with new businesses and their experience will pay dividends when it comes to anticipating how and when your business might need a fresh injection of cash.

They will plan cash reserves and work with you on strategies to avoid running out of capital.

4. Debt Management

There will come a time in the lifetime of most businesses when they will have to accrue a small or large amount of debt in order to expand. If you need to borrow money your accountant will be the best person from whom to seek advice.

He or she will be best placed to work on the best deal for you and help your business to work out a realistic plan for repayments.

As VAT return accountants in Walsall, we can easily help deal with the tax man and the regular VAT liabilities that individuals and businesses incur. Whether that’s a one off trouble-shooting and planning session, or a steady ongoing submission and processing basis, we can help you out.

In terms of the nitty-gritty of VAT payments and returns, then here are a few pointers and tips to help you directly or if you’re involved with others in this process:

1.Remember That Most Things Are Processed Online

The internet is dominating accountancy anyway, but particularly so when it comes to communication and submission with authorities like HMRC and your VAT return. Occasionally we deal with paper copies, but most is online nowadays in terms of submission and then dialogue, making things easier once they are correctly set-up.

2.Get The Right Information

So no matter how slick your process is, if you have the wrong information then you’ll have the wrong VAT liability and problems brewing. Therefore make sure all the right income and expenditure information is processed, the correct adjustments are made, and then a final sanity check of everything is made before final submission.

3.Work Out Who’s Boss

So a VAT Agent can be elected to deal with a client’s VAT liability direct with HMRC. Now although that will of course incur a cost, it brings with it peace of mind that they not only resolve but they literally be the point of contact with HMRC for the whole process to happen effortlessly. If this isn’t suitable, then clearly establish what roles people do have, and who is the ultimate boss and point of contact.

4.Don’t Forget Basic Income & Expenditure

So the basics are that simple – what VAT you had to pay on expenditure can be accounted for against VAT you received on income, with any final balance paid to HM Revenue & Customs or if vice versa, they pay you a refund. So look carefully at what are legitimate ones are to include, particularly mixed uses and elements of these that can and should be included.

5.It’s All About Timing

So every quarter or so a new VAT return needs re-submitting, and therefore all procedures and paperwork to follow suit. Deadlines and timescales are critical to the smooth running of any VAT systems once things are nicely in place.

6.Decide of Registration

So even if you’re not obliged to register, it may be in your best interest to. Therefore carefully look at when and how to best register, and then the best overall procedure and strategy to make the most out of VAT systems afterwards.

The Slick VAT System

With VAT, once it’s correctly set up and the right information is utilised it should tick along nicely. However these preliminary aspects are critical, involving the above 6 tips, to make sure your VAT returns run smoothly – either yourself or through appointed accountants